Unreleased (1982) / True Confessions (1991)
Sounding like a one man band, a rockabilly Dick van Dyke, Prince describes his Cinderella which for some reason would be a Hollywood actress of the 40s with Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Lena Horne all getting a glass slipper. Quite why he’s infatuated with Golden Age silver screen stars is not altogether clear (although his character’s views on women are in keeping with the era) but this brief bit of rough and tumble musical theatre is a quirky delight that wouldn’t sound out of place in an old MGM flick. The only officially released version appeared on TC Ellis’s True Confessions, an album whose three Prince-penned tracks stand out by a country mile. My memories of the rest of the lp are sketchy and I really should muster the enthusiasm to fish the CD out of the attic but I certainly remember this song being the undisputed highlight, despite being such an odd inclusion on a rap album. Prince’s version is hardly unknown though and was a bootleg regular as a result of being considered for many abandoned projects. Hovering midway between show tunes and Looney Tunes it’s an espresso shot of camp kook. An entertaining explosion of colour in a grey, grey world.